The invention relates to a process for separating waste products as they occur in the food industry and for recovery therefrom of proteins, starch, fats and sugar and for converting the individual components into reuseable components of food products.
In the production of food products of the cereal type large amounts of waste products occur which are used exclusively as animal feeds of low value. For intance, when making cookies, crackers or biscuits, large amounts of bakery wastes are obtained during the manufacture. In making flour and other grain products, for instance bran is obtained as a waste product. These wastes contain fats, proteins and carbohydrates in the form of flour, starch and sugar in various proportions.
Numerous attempts have been made to reprocess these materials for use in food products. However, impurities put a limit on this type of reuse.
A process is known by which starch is opened up by microbiological means and subsequently converted into microbiological protein (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,105,799). This process is concerned with starch-containing refuse waters, for instance from the potato processing industry. The proteins obtained are suitable as animal feed. However, in the waste products a large proportion of high value protein useful for human consumption is also contained. This portion of the protein has so far not been given any consideration.
Processes are also known by which protein can be obtained through an ultrafiltration. This type of process used is mainly in the dairy sector for instance, in order to obtain protein whey.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to recover the individual components from these waste products and reprocess them for use in valuable food products.
A particular object is to obtain high value proteins from the waste products.